How to Get a Better Night's Sleep Through the Science of Aromatherapy

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How to Get a Better Night's Sleep Through the Science of Aromatherapy

Did you know that there are certain smells that can soothe you into a more restful night? If you’re looking for ways to get a better night’s sleep, putting the principles of aromatherapy into practice could hold the key. Our resident sleep psychologist and mindfulness expert, Hope Bastine, reveals the scientific principles behind why essential oils work, and how to incorporate scents like the Simba Sleep Spray into your sleep routine.

‘Aromatherapy’ quite literally means treatment by way of fragrance. It is the use of plant-derived aromatic essential oils to cure psychological and physical aliments. Essential oils extracted from herbs, flowers, leaves, fruits, roots, and resin have a high refractive index making their concentrated, potent effects remarkable when applied topically or simply inhaled. There’s no evidence that they are addictive, they maintain their potency over time but do not over stimulate, and they do not have the side effects associated with taking a medication-based approach to tackling sleep issues, all of which make them a great place to start your journey to better sleep. Plus, research shows that aromatherapy is effective in maintaining sleep - especially in the face of stress and anxiety.

Scents have the power to activate the sympathetic or parasympathetic nervous system. The olfactory bulb, located in the brain behind the eyes, has nerves that spread throughout the nasal passage and the inner brain. When inhaled, the essential oil integrates with the biological signals of the receptor sites in the olfactory nerves in the nasal passage; the nerves meet at the olfactory bulb, which then relays the sensory information deep into the inner brain centre called the limbic system. The limbic system is the house of human emotional responses as well as our inner drives, motivation, learning, and memory. Within the limbic system is the hypothalamus which, as well as being particularly affected by aromas, controls the endocrine system and automatic nervous system – processes that control and interpret hormones and non-conscious processes such as breathing, and heart rate. The hypothalamus tells the brain to release hormones and neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, endorphin, or noradrenalin that cause us to behave in certain ways. All of which means that the science of aromatherapy allows us to trigger feelings and behaviours – including sleepiness and calm.

How to trigger the memory of sleep

Our sense of smell is the most evocative of all the senses. Our brain is so good at making connections that certain scents immediately send us down memory lane and we begin to feel the old emotions we have associated to that memory. Since emotions cause us to behave in certain ways, through smell we can activate the motivation pathway in the brain that will cause us to behave in the way we connect to that specific smell.

What does this mean for getting better sleep? We can condition ourselves to associate a scent like the Simba Sleep Spray with a good night’s sleep by incorporating it into our pre-sleep ritual. This works in a two-fold way: the properties of the essential oils Simba has selected have the desired calming physiological impact on the mind and body and you will be creating a healthy conditioned memory trigger of a sound night’s sleep. The body will do what the mind tells it to do!

Which essential oils promote better sleep?

This essence of sleep is found in one main ingredient: lavender. In 2013, one study used lavender essential oil as the key ingredient for reducing anxiety and improving sleep quality from a sleep score of 36.2 to 52.7 in pre-op patients who were too anxious to sleep. The research continuously shows that lavender suppresses heart stimulation and lowers blood pressure. Better yet, researchers discovered that once the patients where relieved when the surgery was over, the lavender had no effect on their heart rate. This makes the use of lavender essence extremely safe to use, as it does not lower an already resting heart rate. Unlike synthetic medication, you can rest assured your heart rate will not fall below the safe zone during your sleep.

Some of the greatest enemies of sleep are bad moods caused by anxiety and depression. Enter sage, orange, lemon, and mandarin essential oils. Countless studies on men, women and children show that within 15 minutes of inhaling these, serotonin and dopamine levels are elevated and cortisol - the bad stress hormone - is reduced. Not only will you will feel calm and at ease within yourself but you will also associate a happy feeling with your bed when using these essential oils in your pre-sleep ritual – the perfect antidote to bedtime dread!

Finally, the absolute stroke of genius in the Simba Sleep Spray is the inclusion of eucalyptus oil. One of the major disruptors of sleep is respiratory dysfunction. Research shows that, not only does inhaling eucalyptus oil stimulate your immune system, it is also remarkably powerful in facilitating smooth breathing as it clears and opens the breath passages in people with asthma, bronchitis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. By opening up the breath passages, eucalyptus oil will support the effective diffusion of nutritious molecules needed to support the healing and restoration process that occurs in deep sleep – it will also enhance the rapid diffusion and effectiveness of the lavender, sage and citrus essential oils. Another perk of using eucalyptus oil in your sleep ritual is the pain relief effect is has – tackling yet another enemy of sleep.

How to use the Simba Sleep Spray at bedtime

In Simba’s tests, 78%* of testers said 2-3 mists on their pillow gave them a more restful night’s sleep. Add 2-3 spritzes to your pillow as you slip into bed. Allow about 15 minutes for this calming fusion to take effect. While you are waiting, you can add other soothing routines such as practicing the Melt Into Sleep meditation or the 5 key Yin yoga poses, or reading a poem under a restful amber light.

Making scent a part of your sleep ritual could be the soothing technique you’ve been looking for to help with a sleep issue or further improve the quality of your rest. A good night’s sleep is the best health gift you can give yourself, so give it a try today.

Have we missed anything? What are your top sleep tips? Share them with us and the rest of our readers on social with #simbasleep

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